One year ago on Yom Kippur, a day of profound reflection and atonement for the Jewish community, a terrorist attack shattered the peace of the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation synagogue. What should have been a day for prayer, for togetherness and for family turned into one of the worst imaginable.
As we mark this first anniversary, my thoughts are with the families and loved ones of Adrian Daulby and Melvin Cravitz, who tragically lost their lives. I also think of the three members of the congregation who suffered serious injuries, and the wider Jewish community in Manchester and across the UK.
Mr Daulby, alongside fellow worshippers, acted with extraordinary bravery in barricading the entrance to prevent the attacker from reaching those gathered inside. Their actions undoubtedly saved lives. In the face of terror, they demonstrated selflessness, dignity and remarkable strength.
While we honour their memory, we must also recognise the enduring pain carried by those who survived, by the wider congregation, and by Jewish communities who saw an attack on one synagogue as an attack on all.
The victims, their friends and families, and their community continue to be at the forefront of our minds. Since that day, we have worked tirelessly to establish the full picture of what happened and to identify anyone who may have played a role in facilitating or supporting the attack.
But this anniversary is not just about looking back. It is also about confronting a deeply troubling reality in the present.
No community should feel frightened. No community should ever have to live in fear because of their faith or identity. Yet as a police officer, these are conversations I hear far too often from people who are currently experiencing this.
The physical threat facing Jewish communities and Israeli institutions in the UK remains high. Across Counter Terrorism Policing investigations, we continue to see antisemitic sentiment appearing with increasing frequency. In the space of a year, 42 per cent of our terrorism investigations contained some form of antisemitic grievance. This doesn’t mean nearly half of our casework is targeted at that community, but it is a hugely troubled statistic nonetheless.
We have seen the consequences of antisemitism play out not just in the UK, but across the world. The terrorist attack at Heaton Park was swiftly followed by the awful events on Bondi Beach in Australia. We then saw a wave of antisemitic incidents and physical attacks against people and infrastructure in London. And the violence is also happening across Europe: schools and synagogues have been attacked in the Netherlands, and in Belgium.
We’re operating against a global backdrop of significant conflict, and what plays out abroad will always have a link back to our shores and the type of threats we’re dealing with.
Seeds of hate, once planted, rarely stay dormant. Left unchecked through permissive attitudes, these seeds can quickly take root and choke out the good around them.
This is why vigilance matters, and why we work hard to detect, disrupt and deter those who would seek to carry out terrorist attacks.
We have been highlighting the importance of this work, particularly given the understandable concern within your communities. These operations underline our core responsibility: identifying, disrupting and preventing hostile activity wherever it is suspected. We will continue to stand with you. It is our job to keep you safe.
One year on from the attack at Heaton Park, we remember those who were taken from their families, honour those who showed extraordinary courage, and stand in solidarity with a community that continues to endure far too much fear and hostility.
The Jewish community should be able to worship, celebrate and live openly without looking over its shoulder.
That is a right that we must all work together to defend.
Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor is the Head of National Counter Terrorism Policing
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